Original Articles

  • CalHHS Secretary Extends Mask Mandate to Mid-February

    Mark Ghaly, M.D., MPH, California Health & Human Services Agency (CalHHS) secretary, has extended California’s indoor mask mandate by another full month. The masking requirement intended to combat the coronavirus pandemic now runs through February 15. While citing a recent surge in the state’s positivity rate to over 21 percent, Ghaly also noted data on […]

  • Fed-OSHA seeks suggestions for strengthening VPP

    Fed-OSHA is holding a stakeholder meeting July 17, in Washington, D.C., to discuss the future direction of its Voluntary Protection Programs. The agency’s aim is to “reshape VPP so that it continues to represent safety and health excellence, leverages partner resources, further recognizes the successes of long-term participants, and supports smart program growth.” Fed-OSHA is […]

Curated Content Articles of Interest from Around the Web

    Dems Rail Against OSHA Budget Cuts

     

    Connecticut’s DeLauro Rails Against Proposed OSHA Budget Cuts

    • Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, highlighted a nearly 12% cut to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration outlined in a budget legislation for the next fiscal year.
    • H.R. 9029, introduced on July 12, sets out appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2025. 
    • If the bill is enacted, OSHA would receive $75 million less than the current fiscal year, she told reporters Tuesday.
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    Virginia Helmet Lab Pivots Safety Study from Athletic Field to Job Site

    • Virginia Tech’s Helmet Lab is shifting its research from athletic head protection to job site safety.
    • They’ve launched an 18-month study to better understand the head impacts that workers experience on job sites and which helmets best protect them.
    • Researchers will begin with recording information on head trauma on the job site from government injury reports and studies, then seek to recreate those impacts in the lab before analyzing which helmets best protect against the most common types of head injury.
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    Meat Casing Maker Faces $197,000 Fine for OSHA Violations

    • Viscofan USA was cited Wednesday with nine violations of federal safety standards after two workers at its Danville, Illinois plant both suffered severe injuries in the same week in January 2024.
    • The global meat casing manufacturer has a history of dozens of serious violations since 2015, according to OSHA.
    • In the latest incidents, while investigating a report of a maintenance worker whose arm was caught in a roller machine, OSHA inspectors learned another employee suffered chemical burns while cleaning a pump less than a week after the first incident.
    • The Danville location is the company’s largest US facility. Its casing products are used in the processed meats industry, which recently celebrated National Hot Dog Day on July 17.
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    Dorn Teams With 3motionAI on Workplace MSDs

    • Dorn Companies said Tuesday it will work with Toronto’s 3motionAI to apply AI-driven human motion analytics on solutions to reduce workplace musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).
    • The Colorado provider of workplace injury prevention programs said it will use 3motionAI’s machine learning technology to analyze human movement data, integrating the information into its on-site and virtual injury prevention programs.
    • Dorn said the collaboration will allow it to identify individual task-related risks and implement corrective actions more quickly.
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